Category Archives: Blogging

This photo (above) is a faded polaroid of my old home studio which was carefully tucked away under the stairs of our home. Nothing in the picture now remains and only the washed out image capturing the past gives life to my memories of the objects within it.

It’s been a long time since I last posted to this blog. May the 2nd 2014 in fact. The reasons are many and largely personal and of probably of little interest to most people, so I’ll spare you the details…

However, over recent months circumstances have forced me to look back over the past. Going through old photographs, personal effects and having to wade through and then part with a lot of things that have accumulated over many years, both in my own life and the lives of others close to me. Charity shops seem very happy with much of what I’ve brought into them over the months and as for the rest – those ‘things’ that had had their day – it was off to the local Waste Recycling Centre. It’s been a cathartic experience in the main, as well as a truly exhausting one.

So I’m in a reflective state at the moment, when I can find the time. All the sifting and sorting is still going on, but the end (of sorts) is in sight now.

I thought it would be interesting to look back to May 2014, when I last managed to post to this blog and get a glimpse of what was in the headlines back then. This is a very short selection of what I found…

Malaysia’s government releases a preliminary report on a missing plane, and Nigerians search for the kidnappers of hundreds of girls.

Jeremy Paxman quit Newsnight after new BBC news boss James Harding reprimanded him for ‘disloyal’ attack on ‘smug’ corporation.

and…

Boo Boo the bear cub is given a last-minute reprieve after officials threatened to put him down for biting 14 students and sparking fears of rabies outbreak on a campus. Two-month-old bear was part of petting zoo that visits Missouri university in May 2014.

So please bear with me (so sorry about that) as I do my best to bring this blog back to life and for those of you who have dipped in and out to check up on older posts – a big thank you. I’ve been amazed that this dormant blog has had so many views while I’ve ‘been away’ and it’s encouraging to know that blogging, in the age of Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, still has a place.

Like this:

Just topped 17000 views. Thanks to all who have visited this blog. Please come back again soon…

This is a shot of me and Morris, my dad’s car way back then in the dim and distant past. It was shot with an old Kodak ‘Hawkeye’ camera (I think) that my dad used to use. If you want to see more cameras that have played a role in my life then go here. (Unashamed plug for my Photoblog).

Share this:

Like this:

No, this is not a thought for Friday. More of a ramble on Friday, so bear with me. I have a head cold and I’m feeling a little under the weather so I’ve grabbed a moment to jot something down. I have to admit that I’ve found it difficult to find the time to post regularly this last week. So many things kept getting in the way. There are a number of subjects that I wanted to write about; Moleskin Hacks, Comics Sans, UK design policy and apprenticeships, to name a few (and I will get around to them), but they may take me some time to research and do fair justice to. I also want to come back to a few items that I’ve already covered, particularly Hypercard and of course venture into new areas. Suggestions are welcome.

But what’s inspired me to continue, apart from you (and the stats show your numbers are growing!) – are people like David, Richard and Mike who continue to produce entertaining posts week after week. In fact David has just reached blog post 1,000!

So take a look at their blogs, but remember to come back and visit. Have a good weekend.

If anyone tuned in on Friday for‘Thought for Friday’I’m sorry I didn’t post. It wasn’t that I didn’t have a thought, it’s just that I was away from home and was somewhere with no internet access. No browsing, blogging, facebooking or twittering. Life without the net.

It gave me the idea for this post. What do I miss most when I’m without the net? I have to admit I was very busy and didn’t have lot of time anyway.

I know a few people, younger than me, who say they can’t live without Facebook or Twitter etc and having access via their expensive mobile phones means they are almost never without their ‘fix’. My phone is a humble affair and internet browsing is beyond it’s simple design. So, being away from my laptop, what did I really miss the most?

After giving it some thought,I felt that Facebook and Twitter could be left for while and my news fix arrived via BBC News 24. I knew my email would be building up but it was just for a few days and I could catch up. I had little time to write, so researching via Google or Wikipedia wasn’t an issue. No I was fine without all of this for a while.

I realised (with some surprise) that what I really missed was catching up on the blogs I follow and I was itching to post something on my own. So I guess this is becoming a little addictive.

My question to anyone out there is what would you miss the most without the net?

Like this:

I do hope everyone had a fine Christmas and new year break, despite the weather conditions here in the UK at the time. I’ve neglected this little blog of mine lately and I apologise but we, (that’s Gina and myself), have been very busy preparing a new website for our studio (see above) as well as other more mundane things that simply took up most of my time. Our old site needs an overhaul and once I’ve ironed out that last few glitches I’ll upload the shiny new one.

I resolved that I would do something about the lack of posts today and so pen and Moleskin in hand I decided to drop into my favourite coffee bar and bookshop to do a little writing. I love the smell of coffee mixed with the aura of books all around me, it helps me think.

Parked in one of my preferred spots with a ‘flat white’ I opened my note-book ready to write when I overheard a conversation. Now don’t get me wrong here. I don’t normally eavesdrop on my fellow coffee drinkers, in fact I usually like to blank everything out, but the two elderly women sat a few tables away were speaking so loudly I couldn’t help but overhear.

They talked and they talked, but what really stuck in my mind was when one of them said, “I turn the internet on and then off again and can’t do anything in between”. It just made me smile and I wanted to share it.

I guess we and by that I mean professional computer users, take a great deal for granted and though computers and their interfaces have come a long way, for some, they and what they offer, are still largely out of reach.

Like this:

It has been over a year since I began this blog (September 2009 in fact), and I felt that the time had come for a little make over and so I’ve opted for a new look. The clever folks at WordPress make this sort of thing a breeze, so I can’t take the credit for the design. This ‘theme’ is by mg12